School lunch heroes bring joy to CUSD community, over 200,000 meals served

On May 4, School Lunch Hero Day, Capistrano Unified’s Food and Nutrition Services employees did what they do best: bring a smile to the faces of those they serve.

On this special day, meals were served in bags with happy faces on them as parents and kids came by Wood Canyon Elementary School and the other 10 campuses where breakfasts and lunches are made and distributed to those in need.

Scroll down to view photos from the School Lunch Hero Day food pickup at Wood Canyon Elementary School.

At the close of eight weeks of meal distribution, CUSD has served a total of 220,575 breakfasts and lunches to children and teens. Just this week, CUSD served 33,768 meals distributed Monday and Wednesday.

Any child age 18 and younger can receive the meals as long as they are in the vehicle; if children are not in the vehicle adults must hold documentation up to the window, such as a letter or email from the school showing the child is enrolled, a report card, attendance record, student ID card, or birth certificate for a child not in school.

Meals are served between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays.

This service takes place in the parking lot or bus lane at these campuses:

Carl Hankey K-8: 27252 Nubles, Mission Viejo
Castille Elementary: 24042 Vía La Coruna, Mission Viejo
Hidden Hills Elementary: 25142 Hidden Hills Rd, Laguna Niguel
Las Flores Elementary: 25862 Antonio Pkwy, Rancho Santa Margarita
Las Palmas Elementary: 1101 Calle Puente, San Clemente
Marblehead Elementary: 2410 Via Turqueza, San Clemente
Marco Forster Middle School: 25601 Camino Del Avion, San Juan Capistrano
Marian Bergeson Elementary: 25302 Rancho Niguel Rd, Laguna Niguel
Dana Elementary: 24242 La Cresta Dr, Dana Point
San Juan Elementary: 31642 El Camino Real, San Juan Capistrano
Wood Canyon Elementary: 23431 Knollwood, Aliso Viejo

Food Assistance Resources for Families

Food resources are in place in Orange County to help families prevent hunger during this difficult time. A list of programs available is linked here. Additionally, California will implement a Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) program in May. Children who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals at school are eligible to receive P-EBT in addition to picking up meals from our program. The following links are resources regarding the P-EBT program:

Visit the Food & Nutrition Services Department website for more information.